Pickles: What's the point?

[ghostrider]

In another thread, some folks opined that they'd prefer a pickle to a salad as an accompaniment to a sandwich.

Me, I just don't get it. What's a pickle good for? What does it do for you?

I've tried all kinds of pickles all my life - sweet pickles, dill pickles, big pickles, little pickles, jarred pickles, barrel pickles, cheap pickles, pickles from NYC's best kosher delis, cornichons, capers (I know, technically these may not be pickles, but I consider them to be in the same family). In spite of what I've said, rather facetiously, in other threads, I don't actively hate them; I simply find them completely pointless. I don't find that they add anything to the taste experience I'm having that makes them worth the time & effort it takes to chew them.

Yet they remain popular. Can any pickle lovers put into words just what it is that makes you love 'em?

I know that I'm probably a hopeless case, but I'd still like to try to understand what the attraction is, at least intellectually, even if I'll never "get it" on a visceral level.

[Jinmyo]

Crunch. Tang. Cuts through heavy flavours, brightens others, heightens contrasts. Refreshing.

[touaregsand]

ilovepickles.org

[rlibkind]

"I don't want a pickle. Just want to ride on my mo-tor-cicle." -- Arlo Guthrie

[auntdot]

OK, I am not sure what is a pickle, but I will limit myself to the stuff made with cukes.

I LOVE THEM.

A pate without cornichons is like a PB&J sandwich without the PB.

Is a Chicago dog worth anything without the pickle? I think not.

The pickle starts with the crunch, then one gets the lovely acidic flavor, and then one tastes the herbs that have been added.

It is freshness, a reminder that even in the depths of winter that there will be a spring.

Will you find the pickle in a three star Michelin place? I doubt it.

But it certainly has its place.

As an adjunct to lunch, as a lagniappe to a picnic meal, or on the plate next to a pastrami sandwich, can anything be better?

No.

At least in the humble opinion of a pickle lover.

Edited April 11, 2005 by auntdot (log)

[mizducky]

What I love about pickled foods is that pickling not only adds flavor and tang, but changes the very texture of the foodstuff. As the acidic citrus juice in ceviche "cooks" the fish by denaturing the protein, the brine-fermenting process alters the foodstuff to produce a whole different experience. A classic brine-fermented no-vinegar-added cucumber pickle has a texture that is almost more like meat than vegetable--and still retains a nice bit of crunch. For those of us who are pickled-food fiends, there's nothing else quite like it.

As we now have all kinds of other ways to preserve foods, it's no longer strictly necessary to pickle them for preservation. But just as people still adore salt-cod dishes even though the need to preserve fish that way has passed, people will still be loving their pickles because of the whole flavor/mouth-feel thing.

Plus pickled foods (at least those pickled by traditional fermentation methods) are touted by a number of folks as having numerous health benefits.

[Susan G]

I was raised by latter-day WASP Victorians: Vinegar is the fifth food group.

I love pickled carrots, onions, peppers, peaches - as well as the humble cuke.

[Babe Ruthless]

A pickle just is - it doesn't need to have a reason to exist. Its crunchy and garlicky and pungent and sharp and tangy and just plain good. I find a pickle to be a suitable substitute for the fat laden potatoe chip - all the crunch and salt without the fat.

You can't go wrong with a baby dill... or a bread and butter, gherkin or sweet bread and butter. I do love a pickle!

[CompassRose]

I'd rather have two pickles than a pickle and a sandwich. I adore pickled anything. The tartness! the sparkly excitement on the tongue! the slightly decadent deliberate offness of naturally pickled things like kraut and kimchi! that wonderful crunchy yet not raw texture!

[jsolomon]

Wow, it's amazing that even on eGullet, when someone says pickle, we immediately start to think of those jarred dill atrocities we find in stores.

So, I'm going to ask if you've ever had homemade pickles? In my experience, a pickle from the finest pickle peddler in all of New York couldn't come close to the fine specimens my mother produces from her humble kitchen. So, what is it about a good pickle?

Well, they cleanse your palate amazing well. If you've had one of those heavy coat-your-tongue-with-lard type of sandwiches, the pickle will cut right through that leaving your palate feeling refreshed and ready for another bite, or something entirely different. The acidity of a pickle really refreshes a flagging mouth and body. When I get finished with my long runs (yes, I run marathons) I reach for--a pickle! They cut the cottonmouth and refresh me better than anything else I've found.

Pickling is such a versatile technique that you can produce pickles for any meal and any cuisine. Plus they travel well, just like a sandwich. So why do pickles belong with a sandwich? Because they can handle just as much abuse. And still refresh, sustain, and please.

I am firmly is CompassRose's and Babe Ruthless's camps. Pickles are.

End trans.

[NulloModo]

I love pickles too, and pickled anything. What is the point of pickles? They have a little crunch, and they have lots of tang and a little bit of sour to them, what's not to like? A cucumber on its own has no real flavor, but pickle it, and it is infused with vinegar, spices, and just becomes wonderful.

I actually like even the crappy grocery store pickles. Vlassic recently put out two lines of flavored pickles: tabasco and lime. I picked up both first time I saw them, and they are pretty good, though I prefer the lime as the tabasco one doesn't have enough tabasco flavor (I guess I could always add more).

About the only pickles I don't lust after are half-sours, but even one of those will do in a pinch.

[handmc]

In addition to all the praises for pickles above are the endless variety of pickles in asian food, blow your head off peppers, Kim Chee that makes you sweat and grin like a fool at the same time and then there were mom's pickles

Dill and Bread & Butter Pickles. Sadly, I have yet to duplicate her pickles to this day. The store bought ones don't even come close.

[robb]

I think pickles of all types are great enhancers to many foods. They can be sweet, sour, bitter, hot and all are usually at least a little salty. They add texture and color and brightness to richer or bland dishes.

Here in the west we usually see cucumber pickles and a few other vegetables normally brined in some kind of vingear with salt. But in eastern cusines, pickled food is much more varied and more prominent. The japanese have numerous techniques for pickling that go well beyond the simple salt and vingear pickle like using rice - bran or miso as the pickling medium. Koreans have the fabulous and very spicy KimChee. Then there's capers and olives... these are technically pickles too.

What's the point? Traditionally, of course, pickling was a way of preserving food. Now it's just as likely to be used as a sharp, bright burst of flavor or something to be used to whet the appetite and awaken the palate.

[Susan G]

Wow, it's amazing that even on eGullet, when someone says pickle, we immediately start to think of those jarred dill atrocities we find in stores.

So, I'm going to ask if you've ever had homemade pickles? 

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Depending on what's available when I get the urge to can: Dill. Garlic. Hot. Sweet gherkin. Watermelon rind.

Chinese pickles once a month (four hour marinating time); Spiced (pickled) peaches every Thanksgiving and Christmas (three to four day marination).

[WolfChef]

Good pickles are to be relished(hmmm), bad pickles should be left on the plate. A local small town bar we frequent for the friends, reasonable priced drinks, homemade onion rings and made from scratch mushroom swiss burgers knows that I always ask for a extra pickle or two that now I no longer need to ask. It's always added to my order.

[bloviatrix]

So, I'm going to ask if you've ever had homemade pickles?  In my experience, a pickle from the finest pickle peddler in all of New York couldn't come close to the fine specimens my mother produces from her humble kitchen.  So, what is it about a good pickle?

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I make cucumber pickles every summer. They take about 10 days to cure and waiting for that first batch feels interminable. Every day starting with day 5 Blovie will ask "are they ready yet?"

But, there's something about going down to the Lower East Side to pick up pickles at Guss'. Maybe because it's like taking a trip back in time, but their pickles are the best. There's the crunch and then the sharpness and the garlic. Screw the sandwich. Just give me the pickle.

[DTBarton]

Crunchy, salty, garlicky, what's not to like? I like all kinds of dill pickles, but my least favorite are the green cooked grocery store variety. For store pickles, I much prefer the uncooked Claussen brand. Years ago in South Carolina, the local Winn Dixie used to carry a cooked picke called Polski Wyrob that had hot peppers in the jar, now those were good! Haven't seen them in many moons.

We keep a running container of fresh pickles in the fridge when the cucumbers are in the garden. Tupperware container with white vinegar, salt, onions, fresh dill. You keep adding cut up cucumbers (and squash). Get a new one and it's real crunchy, barely pickled. The longer they're in there, the softer and more pickled they get. Real summer treat.

Perfect accompaniment to a sandwich, especially a hearty corned beef or pastrami.

[ghostrider]

So, what is it about a good pickle?

Well, they cleanse your palate amazing well.  If you've had one of those heavy coat-your-tongue-with-lard type of sandwiches, the pickle will cut right through that leaving your palate feeling refreshed and ready for another bite, or something entirely different.  The acidity of a pickle really refreshes a flagging mouth and body.  When I get finished with my long runs (yes, I run marathons) I reach for--a pickle!  They cut the cottonmouth and refresh me better than anything else I've found.

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Interesting responses. I like the one above the best, it embodies all of the reasons I've always felt that I SHOULD like pickles. Lord knows I've tried, many times over the years. But it just doesn't work. I like the crunch, but the acidity just annoys me.

Maybe I have too many acidity receptors on my tongue. A pickle-loving friend of mine liked his oil-&-vinegar mixtures much more vinegary than I could ever tolerate - and I do love oil & vinegar, but I seem to have my own sense of what constitutes a proper balance of flavors.

So it goes. At least there are more pickles for the rest of you with me in the world!

[chow guy]

Crunch. Tang. Cuts through heavy flavours, brightens others, heightens contrasts. Refreshing.

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Exactly! What she said. Besides if a sandwich is worth it's weight there will be no room for salad.

[fchrisgrimm]

While I like pickles well enough, I admire Ghostrider's cajones for the broad swipe at this beloved food group.

My sister-in-law won a pickle contest in Northern Virginia last year. They were good, but I have to admit, most of my reaction was "they're pickles."

As one who was stranded in NYC on the night of the last blackout, I will note that pickle-mongers did a bang-up business when everyone was without electricity.

[Babe Ruthless]

Vlassic recently put out two lines of flavored pickles: tabasco and lime.  I picked up both first time I saw them, and they are pretty good, though I prefer the lime as the tabasco one doesn't have enough tabasco flavor (I guess I could always add more). 

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MMMMMM. Tabasco pickles! I'll have to watch for those in the store. And now I have to rummage in the fridge to see if I have any pickles left in the back. I might have some Kalamata olives too...

[NulloModo]

Vlassic recently put out two lines of flavored pickles: tabasco and lime.  I picked up both first time I saw them, and they are pretty good, though I prefer the lime as the tabasco one doesn't have enough tabasco flavor (I guess I could always add more). 

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MMMMMM. Tabasco pickles! I'll have to watch for those in the store. And now I have to rummage in the fridge to see if I have any pickles left in the back. I might have some Kalamata olives too...

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Hmm, yeah, the tabasco weren't bad, but they really do need more tabasco in them, it comes off as a faint hint of taste after you take a bit, just a barely lingering heat. Now, the Texas Best Hot Okra Pickles, those are something to salivate over...

[snowangel]

Gedney (a MN company; don't know if they are available elsewhere) does a jalapeno baby dill that is mighty addicting.

[Chris Amirault]

I think auntdot's pairing of pate and cornichon is key here. A good pickle transforms other kinds of food (often rich, fatty, intense foods) in a way that few other things can.

As an example, I offer you a simple onion pickle to make your Mexican food happier: slice red onion into slim rings, squeeze a couple of juicy limes on them, toss some kosher salt with them, and let 'em sit for an hour or so.

I made hamburgers with chipotle rub, pepper jack cheese, tomato, cilantro, and avocado for dinner tonight. It was fine -- until you added those wonderful pickles, and each bite was drippy heaven.

Stick those puppies on your nachos; crunch them with some rice and beans; bury them in your burritos. Then you tell me if pickles are still second-rate foods, my silly, pickle-avoiding friend.

[mizducky]

Interesting responses.  I like the one above the best, it embodies all of the reasons I've always felt that I SHOULD like pickles.  Lord knows I've tried, many times over the years.  But it just doesn't work.  I like the crunch, but the acidity just annoys me.

Maybe I have too many acidity receptors on my tongue.  A pickle-loving friend of mine liked his oil-&-vinegar mixtures much more vinegary than I could ever tolerate - and I do love oil & vinegar, but I seem to have my own sense of what constitutes a proper balance of flavors.

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Yeah, if you have a low tolerance for acidity, pickles are likely not going to be your thing. Are there other sour foods besides vinegar that you've noticed you either don't care for or prefer in lesser quantities than other folks? How do you feel about lemons and other sour citrus, for example?